"Phew…!"
The captain of the guard glanced sideways at Franz Bommel, who had been letting out sighs at every opportunity.
Wearing splendid chainmail, a longsword at his side, and a navy surcoat lavishly embroidered with his family's crest, Franz was the eldest son of Baron Bommel.
Even at a glance, his somewhat plump build made it clear he was far from being a knight. After sighing repeatedly, Franz stared off into the distant sky and muttered,
"Will the day never come when the martial fame of Franz Bommel is known to all? Why does Father oppose me leading the troops into battle?"
'Because, sir, you're so weak you'd struggle even against a single mercenary let alone being a knight.'
But the captain of the guard was not foolish enough to say that aloud, and instead forced a smile.
"Perhaps because this is less a true war and more a fight meant to end in compromise. His Lordship must have judged that it's a stage unworthy of displaying the strategy and valor of Sir Franz Bommel, the heir."
"Right? Haah! Still, it's disappointing. I wanted to defeat the knights of Lord Fairchilden and then boldly propose to Alayna."
The very reason the Fairchilden and Bommel families had come into conflict was the marriage issue between Alayna Fairchilden and Franz Bommel.
Marriages between the children of noble families in the same region were extremely common.
Thus, by marrying their second daughter to the heir, the Fairchilden and Bommel families had planned to strengthen both mutual trust and mutual oversight.
However, disagreements arose over the dowry demanded by the Bommel family, and in the end, they decided to settle the matter by force accepting the terms of whoever emerged victorious.
'No, really you couldn't handle even a single mercenary.'
Swallowing those words, the captain of the guard spoke in a voice thick with feigned regret.
"Isn't the victory of the knights bearing Bommel's banner the same as victory for both our lord and yourself? Later, you may proudly go to Lord Fairchilden's castle and receive Lady Alayna."
"That's true. Still, it feels like such a was hm?"
Smacking his lips, Franz suddenly widened his eyes.
"That… isn't that a knight?"
"Eh? Wh—!"
The captain of the guard flinched as he followed Franz's pointing finger.
A knight, heavily armored in dark, grimy plate, was slowly approaching the castle on horseback, pushing someone ahead of him.
"All troops, battle stations!"
Though there were only about fifty of them, the guard captain's shout sent the soldiers scrambling up onto the walls.
Crossbows were cocked and aimed toward the knight, and soon the horse stopped before the moat.
"Who goes there!? This is the castle of Lord Rizeplin Yonassen Bommel, lord of Hylian!"
"I am Jan of the Eugene family. I have brought Lord Apiel Bommel Pascal, nephew of Lord Bommel."
"Lord Pascal!?"
Startled, the guard captain stared intently at the person the knight who called himself Jan Eugene had brought forward.
"It's me! Pascal, the administrator of Rangbon!"
"Cousin Apiel!"
Unable to hide his shock, Franz called out to Pascal.
"Sir Franz? Right now, you must—"
"If you don't shut up, I'll cut you."
In a flash, Eugene drew a shortsword and pressed it to Pascal's throat.
"How dare you, you wretch!"
Seeing his cousin, whom he'd been close to since childhood, threatened, Franz flew into a rage.
"Enough of this—summon Lord Bommel at once! As a knight in the employ of Lord Fairchilden, I demand the exchange of the imprisoned Lord Lobos inside the castle for Lord Pascal!"
"Grr!"
Only now understanding the situation, Franz ground his teeth.
But soon, as befitted the heir of Baron Bommel's house, he shouted proudly,
"Our lord has no intention of speaking directly with a ruffian like you! My name is Franz Bommel, heir to the House of Bommel! Negotiate with me!"
'That man's the heir?'
Despite wearing chainmail, Franz's body bore no trace of knightly training, and Eugene inwardly thought this worked out nicely.
"Excellent. Bring out Lord Lobos, and I'll release this man."
"Hm…"
As Franz frowned, the guard captain urgently whispered,
"My lord, you mustn't agree in haste. We should first inform His Lordship."
"That's true, but…"
The fate of a captured knight was the lord's prerogative. No matter that he was the heir, Franz had no authority to decide such matters lightly.
Still, jealousy stirred within Franz at the sight of the young knight, clad in far finer plate armor and mounted on an impressive horse.
Moreover, the image overlapped with his own fantasy—riding alone to Lord Fairchilden's castle and boldly demanding his daughter's hand.
Yes. That was supposed to be his moment.
Then Eugene's voice shattered Franz's pounding reverie.
"Are you lying about being the heir? An heir who can't even make such a decision on his own—never heard of one."
"What did you say!?"
Fire blazed in Franz's eyes.
His flushed face whipped toward the guard captain and soldiers.
"Go report to my father at once! And you—bring Lord Lobos here!"
"M-my lord, His Lordship must issue the order first—"
"Silence! I make the decision! Just bring him out, now!"
"…Yes."
Faced with the heir's fury, the guard captain had no choice but to bow his head. In the end, rank itself was the law.
"Hey… could you maybe move the blade?"
Feeling Pascal tremble through the shortsword pressed to his shoulder, Eugene replied coldly,
"You were the one who broke a promise sworn on your honor first."
"That was…"
"I clearly said I'd take you to Lord Bommel's castle. And I'm keeping that promise right now. So why are you making things difficult by spouting nonsense?"
"…I'm sorry."
With nothing left to say, Pascal replied in a dejected voice.
Eugene withdrew the shortsword from his shoulder.
"Don't test me again. This is your last chance. Say whatever you like once we're inside the castle, but don't forget—until then, you're still my prisoner."
"I understand."
Having gained a vague sense of what kind of knight Eugene was, Pascal nodded hastily.
A short while later, Franz Bommel appeared atop the wall, leading a man with him.
"Hey, knight! I've brought Lord Lobos!"
Seeing the surprisingly neat-looking man, Eugene called out,
"How am I supposed to believe that's Lord Lobos?"
"That's right! I am Yeka of Lobos! Sir Eugene, was it? Were you sent by Lord Fairchilden?"
Whether the man enthusiastically shouting was truly Lobos or not made no difference, so Eugene spoke loudly for Franz to hear.
"That's right. Then, heir, let's exchange prisoners quickly. The sun will set at this rate."
Franz merely flinched, unable to reply.
"What, doesn't an heir have at least that much authority? This is disappointing. Oh! Or are you too afraid to even exchange prisoners? The mercenaries in Rangbon were so weak, I thought it might be different here—but knights, heirs to domains, you're all nothing special after all."
"My lord, that's going too far—"
"Shut it. Do you think I threw a spear at a horse's backside by accident? If you want to test me even now, I won't stop you."
"..."
Pascal, who had been about to flare up, quickly shut his mouth. Having already experienced it once, he knew all too well just how capable Eugene was.
But Franz Bommel was different.
Not only had Eugene stolen the heroic moment he'd dreamed of for so long and provoked him again and again, but he had openly belittled him.
Franz's rage finally exploded.
"Grr! Open the gate! Raise the portcullis and lower the drawbridge! I'll personally conduct the prisoner exchange!"
"Yes, sir!"
With the captain of the guard absent, the soldiers had no choice but to obey the heir's command.
That idiot…!
Pascal wanted to go completely berserk.
This was a situation where even coming out with several knights would be questionable yet the heir of the domain was stepping forward alone!
No, before that—how could he fall for such an obvious provocation?
But Franz had no experience of this sort whatsoever, and he placed absolute faith in his status as the heir of a titled lord.
Kiiiriiik! Thud!
At least he wasn't a complete fool. Mounted on horseback, Franz crossed the drawbridge with Lobos in front of him and about ten soldiers in tow, putting on a dignified display.
"Now, do you see!? I, Franz Bommel, have personally come out to exchange prisoners! So retract those insulting words at once—"
Letting Franz's shrill shouting go in one ear and out the other, Eugene muttered quietly,
"Why is everyone I meet this stupid? It works out well for me, but Baron Bommel must have endless worries."
"Franz si—"
Just as Pascal was about to shout, prepared to die if necessary, Silion burst forward like a gale.
"Ugh!?"
Startled, Franz's soldiers rushed to block the way.
But domain troops in leather armor, wielding long spears—and not even heavy infantry—stood no chance of stopping the charge of a plate-armored knight atop a warhorse clad in barding.
Thud! Thump! Crack!
"Aaagh!"
"Kgh!"
Far less trained than battle-hardened mercenaries, the soldiers were flung aside with loud screams, unable to put up any real resistance.
When half a dozen were sent tumbling into the moat in an instant, Franz's face finally turned pale as he grasped the situation.
"Stop him! Stop him!"
Shouting frantically, Franz hurried to draw his longsword.
But Eugene slightly released his vampiric aura, startling Franz's horse badly.
Neigh—!
"What!? Whoa—!"
Though Franz was accustomed to riding as a noble, he was no knight to begin with, and there was no way he could properly handle a two-handed longsword atop a panicked horse.
As he flailed about in the saddle, the longsword slipped from his grasp.
Whoosh!
"Gah!?"
In that instant, Eugene's shortsword—having already dealt with all the soldiers—stopped right in front of Franz's visor.
Seeing the blade halt just inches from his fingers, Franz felt as though all the blood drained from his body at once.
No—the crimson eyes glaring at him from within the pointed helmet were even more terrifying.
Having never experienced anything like this in his life, Franz was overwhelmed with fear and unknowingly wet his trousers.
"Lord Lobos, lead the heir's horse."
"Oh! Understood!"
Overwhelmed by Eugene's effortless display, Lobos hurriedly grabbed the reins of Franz's horse.
Once Silion and Franz's horse had crossed beyond the drawbridge, Eugene raised his visor and turned to Pascal.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you going in?"
"…!"
Like Lobos, Pascal had been staring at Eugene with his mouth agape, and he flinched.
"I promised, didn't I? That I'd take you to Baron Bommel's castle. Go on."
Pascal's shoulders trembled involuntarily.
This knight had indeed kept his promise.
Yet Pascal had never imagined that Eugene would trade him—a mere collateral branch member and domain knight—for the legitimate heir of the Bommel family.
"If you don't want to go, you can stay here with the heir."
"Hah! Leaving the domain heir behind and going in alone? How could I do that? I'll stay too."
Pascal was not a man without shame or sense.
If he entered the castle alone like this, he would surely earn his uncle's fury and the stigma of cowardice.
Better to be cursed as incompetent than that. Damn it.
Since an even more foolish heir was staying with him, any scolding later would at least be shared evenly.
* * *
Upon hearing that not only his nephew but even his eldest son had been captured—after crawling out of the castle of their own accord—Baron Bommel flew into a rage.
However, in the end, he had no choice but to open the castle gates himself and show respect to the knight who had taken both his heir and his nephew prisoner.
All the knights and mercenaries he had hired were deployed elsewhere, and in a single clash he had lost over ten castle soldiers.
Moreover, judging from the testimonies of the soldiers who had witnessed everything from the walls, even mobilizing all remaining forces would not be enough to deal with Eugene.
Most importantly, doing so would immediately endanger the lives of his eldest son and nephew.
Thus, in exchange for receiving the two back, Baron Bommel had to personally write and seal a document declaring his defeat and requesting Lord Fairchilden's mercy, complete with his signet ring.
Even so, Eugene could not fully trust Baron Bommel.
Therefore, under the condition that Pascal would be treated with proper respect until the two lords met in person to negotiate, Eugene took Pascal with him again.
Along with that came the Bommel family's banner, a large chest filled with silver coins, and even two strong slaves to carry it all.
"Kiiiih! Silver coins! Slaves! Success! All that's left now is rising to greatness!"
Whether or not greatness truly awaited him was unclear, but as the spirit of desire shrieked excitedly, one thing was certain—
It was a resounding success.
(To be continued in the next chapter)